Film lettering and titling device



Jan. 8 1924.

H. H. HOOD FILM LETTERING AND TITL ING DEVICE Filed Aug. 51 1922 INVENT'O'E:

HARRISON H.

Hoop,

Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON H. HOOD, 0]? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THIMMEWAYTITLES, INCL, OF HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

FILM LETTERING AND TITLING DEVICE.

Application filed August 81, 1922. Serial No. 585,471.

To all wit-0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON H. H001), a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county. of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Film Lettering and TitlingDevice, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for holding and arranging letteringand identifying matter to be photographed in conjunction with movingpicture films and other similar matter.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device by whichthin films can be used in arranging lettering, identification marks,titles, inscriptions, and other similar matter, so that the arranged andassembled matter may be photographed to be used in connection with thepicture films.

Another object is to provide a device by which thin films can be used inexchangeably holding and arranging lettering, identification marks,titles, and inscriptions for moving pictures and similar purposes.

Another object is to securely hold individual characters to beexchangeably arranged and held in lettering, identifications, titles,inscriptions, and other similar indications for moving picture films andother similar matter.

Another object is to securely hold and protect individual charactersproduced on thin films to be exchangeably held and arranged forlettering, identifications, titles, inscriptions, and other similarindications, for moving pictures. and other similar articles.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appendedclaims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is aperspective illustration of a holding member for individual and detailcharacters.

Fig. 2 is the holding member of Fig. 1, as it appears when first cut inform of a blank.

Fig. 3 is a eneral horizontal section through the hol ing member of Fig.1, on approximately the ine 3-3 of Fig. 1, having a film and aprotecting body plate behind the film inserted in the holding member.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of an assembly of character-holding membersarranged in a base or framework, to show the assembled characters in adesired form of lettering, identification, title, or inscription, thisillustration being in a smaller scale than the other illustrations.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the holding member, on asimilar plane as the illustration of Fig. 3, illustrating a slightlymodified form of engagin edge;

Fig. 6 is another slightly modified form of engaging edge.

Fig. 7 is still another slightly modified form of engaging edge.

Fig. 8 is another slightly modified form of engaging edge.

A continuous operation of moving picture machines being most practicaland desirable, it has become customar to insert at suitable points ofthe whole hn a suitable number of feet of title, identification, orother desirable inscription. Such title or inscription is thereforephotographed in a similar manner as the pictures or other matter of thefilm. On the other hand, it is very desirable to have the same type ofwriting, lettering, or indications throughout the whole of one and thesame film. Producers, and people interested in the display of movingpictures, furthermore, show preference in the hand-writing or letteringof certain artists.

However, on finishing a moving picture film, it is very often impossibleto obtain the necessary lettering for all the titles, inscriptions, andother matter from certain artists in the time allowed for such work.

With devices made according to this invention, a master sheet of thehand-writing of any artist, or characters, or any identification marks,or any other desired matter to be shown in connection with suchpictures, can be photographed, and the individual or desired characterscan be cut out from such thin films and securely held in these devices,to be used individually or arranged in desired groups. Such assembledgroups can then again be photographed in the usual form of movingpicture films, to be inserted into the whole film of a complete movingpicture.

In Fig. 4 is, for instance, a practical arrangment for grouping andholding a group of characters, to eventually serve in titling of thecharacter-holding members may hold a single letter, or a group ofcharacters usually appearing together.

The holding member illustrated in Fig. 1 is preferably made of sheetmetal, stamped in blanks of the form illustrated in Fig. 2.

The central portion 12 is provided with an aperture 13, to leave thetransparent portion of an inserted film unobstructed. The aperture 13 isof a size and shape large enough to make the holder applicable forvarious characters. For instance, large letters or characters like theletters W and M may easily be inserted in a certain size of holder;

while other characters or letters like E, R, U, and others may easily beinserted in holders of narrower size; and characters as narrow as theletter I may easily be inserted in especially narrow holders. Thisprinciple is illustrated in Fig. 4 by the holding members indicated at10.

Projecting and extending laterally from the central portion 12, severalflaps are provided, as indicated at 14, 15, 16 and 17. These. flaps arebent in relation to the'central portion 12, to form, in its completedshape, a box-like member, into which character-displaying bodies can beplaced. One of the fiaps is preferably left unbent until thecharacter-displaying bodies are placed in the receptacle. In Fig. 1, theflap 14 is illustrated still unbent in relation to the center portion12.

A film is normally rather thin, and easily breakable. A handling ofcharacters, produced on films, unprotected by other bodies, plates ormembers, is therefore not very practical or advisable. The exposed sideof a film is furthermore very sensitive, and liable to be marred ordamaged by a mere touching with other objects.

With a holding device as disclosed hereby, a film 22 is placed with itsexposed side 23 towards the inside, and a protecting plate or body 24 isplaced against the exposed side of the film, as illustrated in Fig. 3.The illustration of Fig. 3, and in fact all illustrations, may be saidto be out of scale. A film is very much thinner than indicated at 22,and a protecting body, as indicated at 24, does not have to be muchthicker than one sixteenth of an inch, or perhaps even less, as long asthe material of the protecting plate is strong enough to protect theflexible film. The edges of the protecting plate or body are preferablyshaped so that the adjoining plates engage or interlock one another, theedge 25 being of enace and any other similar identification mark,

commonly used in connection with moving pictures. The whole assembledset, securely contained in such a holding member or receptacle, caneasily be arranged on a base 11 and between bars 9, as illustrated inFig. 4, to be'photographed in a suitable manner for moving pictures asdescribed above.

Any kind of film can be used in such holding members, since fullyprotected in the member. The exposed side of the film, in-

dicated at 23 in Fig. 3, is on the inside protected by the protectingblock 24, but even the smooth side of the film is protected, since backof the front face 27 of the holding member.

The films are normally transparent to clearly display the characterswhen a light is placed or arranged behind the films. The protectingbodies are also preferably of suitable transparent material. Thediffusing back 11 is used to equalize the illuminating effect throughthe arranged and assembled characters in Fig. 4, since plain lightsdisposed behind such arrangement without such diffusing back wouldnaturally produce spotted illuminating effect.

The bars 9 are normally of the same shading as the surrounding backaround the characters, so that the characters alone stand out in thefinal film.

The edges of the receptacles are provided with the engaging edges toavoid any refiection through adjoining receptacles when arranged asillustrated in Fig. 4.

In Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, slightly modified forms of engaging-edges forthe receptacles are illustrated. In Fig. 5., an extension flap 28 isillustrated to extend over the back of the protecting body, inserted insuch receptacle. In Fig. 6, the engaging edge 29 is evenly rounded,instead of being cornered as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 3 and 5. In Fig.7, only the central portion 30 of the one side fiap 31 is formed forengagement with another cooperating flap. The central portion 32 of theflap 33 in the slightly modified form illustrated in Fig. 8 is rounded.From the above, it will be understood that the engaging edge of theholding member can be modified to quite an extent without departing fromthe principle of the invention.

claim: I

1. In a device of the class described, a film having detail charactersimpressed thereon disposed in a protecting holding member adapted to bearranged in a combination of holding members to be photographed forlettering, identifications, titles, and inscriptions of moving pictures.

2. In a device of the class described, a character holding member havingmeans for firmly closing the space between adjoining ing means forarranging adjoining films so as to display the transparent characterswithin a solid opaque back-ground and having means for transmittin lightthrough the holding member and tfirough the film in the holding member,and a protecting member for protecting the exposed face of the filmsecurely in the holding member.

5 In a device of the class described, a

4 diffusing basei) character-holding members;

means on the ase for supportin the holding members adjustably and excangeably;

Having thus described my invention, I

a film, diiplaying detail characters, disposed in each 0 tectin memberin each of the holding members or securely holding the films in theholding members.

6. In a devicerof the class described, a film being exposed to displaydetail characters, a holding member to support the film, a protectinmember having means to securely hol the film within the holding vmember,and a base member to exchangeably and adjustably support a requirednumber of holding members to form a group adapted to be photographedinto lettering, identification marks, titles, and inscriptions formoving pictures.

7. In a device of the class described, a holding member having anapertured central portion and having flaps around the edges adapted tobe bent for securely engaging inserted matter in suitable relation tothe aperture in the central portion.

8. In a device of the class described, a

the holding members; and a proholding member stamped of sheet metalhaving an apertured central portion and having flaps around the edgesadapted to be bent for securely engaging and holding inserted matter insuitable relation to the aperture so as not to affect the transparencyof the inserted matter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention'I have signed myname in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

HARRISON ii. HOOD.

Witnesses: 7

O. H. KRUEGER, J ESSIE A. MANooK.

